52 Super Series: US team wins seventh title - "Goodbye" after 18 TP52 years
Tatjana Pokorny
· 27.09.2025
Doug DeVos and the American Magic Quantum Racing team have celebrated their seventh season title in 18 years of TP52 involvement on the Costa Smeralda. The US team thus put its final exclamation mark on the 52 Super Series, as the Americans will no longer be competing next year.
52 Super Series: DeVos leaves as sailor, remains as main shareholder
Owner and helmsman Doug DeVos was one of the three founding members who brought the 52 Super Series to life 13 years ago. In future, the 61-year-old passionate regatta sailor, who won the high-calibre professional series with his team in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024 and now in 2025, wants to spend more time at home with his family. In particular, he wants to devote himself to his grandchildren.
However, the 52 Super Series will not have to do without him in the future. Doug DeVos will remain the "little sister of the America's Cup" as an active and passionate main shareholder. His team was once again the most successful overall this year. American Magic Quantum Racing leaves the Grand Prix series, whose season ended this weekend with 13 boats from ten nations at the fifth and final event of the season at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, on a positive note.
The comforting news for regatta fans: at least two new teams are expected to join the series from 2026, including a new boat currently under construction, according to the league. Led by tactician Terry Hutchinson, American Magic Quantum Racing won three of the five regattas this season, including, most notably, the windy and tough Rolex TP52 World Championship in Cascais, Portugal, where the mini-transat soloists are currently weathering a heavy storm.
Doug DeVos leaves as the winner and praises the team
This year, the Americans took all three main prizes - the season championship, the World Championship title and the Royal Cup - and thus won the "Triple Crown". There was plenty of emotion at the final presentation on Saturday. Terry Hutchinson paid tribute to former and current team members and the support of Doug and Maria DeVos and their family.
Doug DeVos himself said goodbye with a smile and said: "When I came here, I realised that it was all coming to an end. I'm so grateful to have been a part of it for so long, grateful to all the sailors, all the teams, everything that has made this fleet what it is, and to have been a part of it from the beginning. I just feel blessed. The win is a great reward for all the hard work the whole team has put in."
The event in Porto Cervo was won by the American "Sled" ahead of Tina and Hasso Plattner's "Phoenix" and the British "Alegre". After no more races could be sailed on the last day of the season due to very weak winds and the threat of thunderstorms, the title at the Porto Cervo Range Rover Regatta could no longer be taken away from Takashi Okura's Sled team. The Smarad Coast seems to be a good place for the Okura crew, as they also won here in 2019 at the last summit of the 52 Super Series in Porto Cervo.
"Platoon Aviation" with light and shade
"Sled" finished 19 points behind "American Magic" to take second place in the season standings, while the French crew led by Jean Luc Petithuguenin on "Paprec" achieved their best result of the season in team history with third place. Les Bleus were thus also able to build on their outstanding World Championship silver medal, which they had won just one point behind American magic Quantum Racing.
Hasso and Tina Plattner's "Phoenix" showed up at the Port Cervo Range Rover Sailing Week with sailing superstar Tom Slingsby and Will Ryan as tacticians and took second place. Third place was secured by Andy Soriano's Alegre at the season finale in Italy. The prize for the best owner-steersman this year went to a newcomer to the 52 Super Series: Italian Andrea Lacorte from Team Alkedo V led the crew to eighth place in Porto Cervo and fifth place in the season championship ahead of Harm Müller-Spreer's "Platoon Aviation" in sixth place.
Over the entire season, 40 of the 50 planned races were held. Both "American Magic" and "Platoon Aviation" achieved seven race wins this year, "Sled" and "Alkedo" six each. The strong winning record of "Platoon Aviation" shows that a lack of consistency was a problem for the multiple world champions this year, who were able to shine, but then had to fight their way back again and again after setbacks.
The wide top of the 52 Super Series
The top of the 52 Super Series has become much broader, but the championship has also become more competitive and exciting as a result. Twelve of the 13 participating teams from ten different countries won at least one race, confirming the competitiveness of the most balanced fleet in the history of the racing series. However, "Gladiator" (won in Saint-Tropez) and "Sled" (won in Sardinia) were the only teams to successfully challenge the dominance of American Magic Quantum Racing with event victories. In the end, however, they were unable to defeat the most successful team in the history of the 52 Super Series in its farewell year.
